Hi fairy friends!
Happy Monday and welcome to day 1 of our Adult readalong! We’ll be reading Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong. I’m a big Chloe Gong fan so I’m excited to be reading this one with you, I hope you all love it!
Before we start, how are you all doing? I hope you had a wonderful weekend and got some reading and relaxing done.
Since today is day 1, we’ll be reading from the beginning to the end of Chapter 5. Get comfy and let’s get started!
When you’ve finished today’s section, catch up with me in the comments down below so we can discuss the beginning of the book. Happy reading!
Please be warned, the following section will include spoilers for Immortal Longings from the beginning to Chapter 5. Please only read on if you have finished this section!
–!SPOILERS!-
Welcome to San-Er! So far? Sounds scary.
August has taken on managing this year’s games. A battle to the death for a grand prize! Not sure you’d find me taking part in the games but I’m happy we can spectate from afar.
Before Galipei can presumably scold August about something, he’s ordering him to take his body inside and then… he jumps. His body goes limp, the qi left with him as he jumped into the body of a nearby child. What an interesting concept for a magic system though!
Ok, August is looking for someone… Princess Calla Tuoleimi. Interesting!
The Princess is in hiding, a fugitive, though San-Er’s inhabitants think her dead. What happened here then? 👀 Not gonna lie, whilst she may not be nice, her threatening children is hugely entertaining to read! Is that cruel of me?
Calla’s been rumbled. She takes a package, but the courier is a Weisanna. He knows exactly who she is. The Weisanna escapes Calla, but she still has the package. It’s a wristband, an entry to the deadly games.
Anton Makusa has also received a wristband to enter this years games, seems like he’s been waiting a while for one too. He’s currently inhabiting a banker’s body, living in his luxury apartment. Six hours to go until the first event.
He’s fighting to save someone who’s stuck in the hospital, ok. There’s a story here and I’d like to know it!
Calla’s trying to get to the bottom of who is looking for her. Before she can really speak to Yilas and Chami, someone is here to see her… August. Heir to the throne. He’s the one that’s been looking for her, he wants to partner with her. He’ll help her get through the games if she vows to kill the King at the end.
Can we even trust him though? Like really? How do we know this isn’t a ploy to rid the world from the Princess, who I assume could potentially steal his throne?
He hasn’t told King Kasa she’s alive though, surely he would if it was a ploy? BUT WHAT IF HE’S LYING??? Chloe Gong has this incredible way of stopping me from trusting every character and it shows. 😭😂
Ok August has something to lose too. He’s not a blood royal so at the end of all of this if they’re successful the crown could reject him.
Oh DAMN. Calla killed her parents. That kind of took me by surprise I won’t lie…
Calla’s agreed, she’s partnering with the prince. This should make for some interesting games!
Okkk, so Anton and August have a little history. They used to be best friends. Wonder what happened there?
Without further ado, the games begin, and it’s a pretty brutal start! The games are televised and although Calla is partially masked and older… I’m wondering if someone is going to end up recognising her? Especially since given the start of the games, it seems like she’ll end up being a key player!
Calla might be my favourite character so far, purely because she has a cat. Cat people are great, speaking as a cat person myself. In Mao Mao we trust!
Wow… so Calla’s not just a key player, the LEADING player so far. Way to be subtle August. That very fact being broadcast, is how Calla ends up on Anton’s radar. He’s sus. He doesn’t remember seeing her at the Daqun at the start of the games. Sus, but intrigued.
I mean, no one can say Anton isn’t dedicated. He’s slaughtering and jumping left right and centre, even stopping to show the camera his wristband. Is he jealous a woman has taken the top spot? Or does he just want to get the attention of the palace? Maybe both?
In the palace, something even stranger has caught their attention. There were twenty-three hits, but only twenty-one attributed to players. The Yaisu sickness was responsible for the other two. A sickness brought on by too many failed attempts to invade another body. The dead bodies are making the Sican salute.
As if that wasn’t worry enough for August, Leida brings to his attention that Anton has managed to get into the games… He’s leaving him in for now, but he has his concerns since Anton is one of the only players in the game that Calla may not be able to best.
What a start!
This world is so intense but I love it.
Do you think the half-sister August mentioned, Otta, could be the same person Anton’s trying to save?
Who are you placing your bets on, Anton or Calla?
Do you have a favourite character so far (other than Mao Mao of course)?
See you tomorrow for another day of reading!
Love,
Shannon
Do you think the half-sister August mentioned, Otta, could be the same person Anton’s trying to save?
Yes I think it is. I get the feeling Anton thinks August can make her come out of the coma but I think August does not know but maybe the king does and is hiding it from August.
Who are you placing your bets on, Anton or Calla?
I think Anton may jump into Callas body so they both become winners?
Do you have a favourite character so far (other than Mao Mao of course)?
I don’t have a favourite so far I find each of them un-likeable. Hopefully as the story progresses and we learn more about them I will be rooting for one of them to win.
Thank you Fairyloot for hosting this readalong! I’ve saving starting this one till now.
I’m liking it but surprised how fast we started the action. I would have preferred some more build up and character development.
It could be! Didn’t really think about that while reading it.
I don’t really want to place bets on Calla or Anton because I think they will be working together at some point. They both seem to be very skilled!
I don’t have a favorite character yet. Still getting to know them. But I agree Mao Mao is pretty awesome!
I like the writing and the world – so interesting.
Do you think the half-sister August mentioned, Otta, could be the same person Anton’s trying to save? yes, I thought that
Who are you placing your bets on, Anton or Calla? both – I think they’ll team up
Do you have a favourite character so far (other than Mao Mao of course)? not yet, but I’d have to pick Leida because of the blue glitter.
Hello!
I’m surprised to report that I’m kind of struggling to get into this one though now the games have started my interest is starting to perk up.
Surprised because I loved Chloe Gong’s other work and the premise for this one sounds SO up my street. I like the setting a lot, but I guess I’m feeling like none of the characters stick out to me that much yet?
Also, Anthony & Cleopatra is one of the Shakespeare plays I’m not at all familiar with, so on the one hand it’s nice that I have no clue what to expect but on the other I don’t get the satisfaction of it being a retelling if that makes sense.
1) Do you think the half-sister August mentioned, Otta, could be the same person Anton’s trying to save?
Quite possibly!
2) Who are you placing your bets on, Anton or Calla? Calla, almost entirely because she’s on the cover LOL. But part of me thinks that Anton is sneaky enough to find a way out of it.
3) Do you have a favourite character so far (other than Mao Mao of course)? Gotta be Anton. I like how chaotic he is, though like I said no one has completely stolen my heart yet.
Yes I think Anton is trying to say August’s half-sister it just makes to much sense for that to not be the case. My money is very much on Calla winning. I don’t really have a favorite character so far, I pretty much dislike all the characters
Chapter 5 just finished! ⭐️⭐️
Personally, I had a bit of a hard time getting into this universe at first. San-Er is a very dense and somewhat eerie but fascinating environment. However, I’m starting to get used to it, and I’m eager to see how the events unfold further. For now, Calla is also my favorite character; I hope she survives and wins the games!
She seems so talented and impressive! On top of that, she appears to have a keen tactical mind. And as a cat owner myself, I can’t help but appreciate that too! And gold eyes??? I mean, how cool is this?
That being said, I’d like to know more about the reasons behind her strong desire to destroy the monarchy, even going as far as targeting her own family… Why so much anger and hatred? August intrigues me a lot as well. What is he truly like? He seems to be hiding a lot, yet he’s quite charming.
I, too, am curious to learn how the friendship between Antone and August came to an end, and who the person is that Anton is so determined to save. Perhaps Anton and Calla will form an alliance??
I can’t wait to read what happens next!!
1. I definitely think Otta is the person Anton is trying to save, or at least the motivation for his entering the games. I wonder why Anton isn’t aware of Otta being treated at the hospital; perhaps he is, but right now it makes little sense to me why the crown doesn’t just pay for her treatment. Is it because overuse of jumping is really taboo?
2. Calla, hands down. And not because August is helping her cheat the system. She just has a lot of rage and nothing to lose.
3. I like the introduced characters so far! I felt like we got to know more about Galipei and Leida more than Chima and Yila, so outside of the main POVs, I like Leida. I also find August really interesting though, and I’m afraid for him. Actually, I should probably brush up on my Antony and Cleopatra knowledge, because isn’t that play ANOTHER of Shakespeare’s tragedies?
The beginning of this is really fast-paced so far and I’m quite enjoying the read! But it’s no surprise, since I’ve loved all of Chloe Gong’s books to date.
I really enjoyed these first 5 chapters! I’m definitely rooting for Calla most, though Anton has me intrigued. And I admit I haven’t read Antony & Cleopatra, so I’m wondering whether there’s going to be a love triangle between Calla, Anton, and August. I’m excited to read more and find out!
Do you think the half-sister August mentioned, Otta, could be the same person Anton’s trying to save?
Hmm, no I don’t think they are the same person. Otta seemed to have died of the Yaisu disease, which burns someone from the insight out. I don’t think she survived that and thus is not the same person Anton is trying to save.
Who are you placing your bets on, Anton or Calla?
Calla all the way!!
Do you have a favourite character so far (other than Mao Mao of course)?
Damn, hard choice if I can’t choose Mao Mao! I guess I’ll go for her owner and choose Calla than haha
Anton is a powerful contender but based on the agreement between August and Calla, Calla will probably win (also plot armor? maybe?)
Not sure how I feel about any of these characters as of right now. Calla needs some therapy or anger management I feel. August could use some family counseling maybe as well. The cat is probably the best at this point.
Okay! So, I’m very excited about this book! I love Chloe Gong’s writing! I read Anthony and Cleopatra before starting this book because I wanted to know the story Gong was basing this one on! And I loved reading the line with “immortal longings” from the play! So well done!
Something I love about this world is the magic system and the world building! This book is a cross between the Shakespeare play, The Hunger Games, and Squid Games. The stakes are so high already, and I love the history we get about the characters, like Anton’s body being held prisoner from something he did in the past and Calla killing her parents! So much has already happened before the first page even started! Just so good!
I’m looking forward to seeing who Otta is to everyone, and yes I do believe it must be the same person August and Anton are both protecting. But I’m also wondering how Calla and Anton’s relationship is going to be once they meet! Also, is Anton going to be able to jump inside Calla? I don’t think so, but I can’t wait to see it! Right now I want Calla to win and have her and Anton team up.
So far, I like the whole cast of characters! Calla is such a great female lead and Anton is so ruthless! I can’t wait to read more! I’m so hyped for this book especially because it’s part of trilogy! Gong has only done duologies so far, so I’m excited to see why this series is broken into three parts!
Mao Mao is the best, for sure but I love my girls with blades, so I’ll go with Calla for now.
I am not completely sold in the idea of jumping bodies as a way of living because how can you create any kind of bond with anyone? And how can you change your life in a blink of an eye and loose everything behind?
Chloe Gong creates the most beautiful worlds, I am so invested in this crazy stacked dual cities! A page in and I am beyond invested.
I believe that Otta is for sure the person Anton is trying to save. Why August isnt trying to help her is my bigger question.
I will always back a lady with a sword so my money is on Calla, however I think that they will team up by the end of the event. Anton is a terrifying jumper however. I hope we get to see them go head head.
Mao Mao, is most definitely my fav, however I really like Galipei so far. I have a weakness for bodyguards that have to watch their royal. I hope we get more of him, Leida and Augusts operating as a team.
Yeah, I think they could be the same person especially given that August and Anton were close when they were younger.
Definitely rooting for Calla! I think she’s got the motive, the skills, and the right drive to win. Plus the “help” from August.
I really like Chami and Yilas. I already just want the best for them and to keep them safe.
I find the concept of qi and jumping bodies so intriguing! I definitely think Otta Avia is the reason Anton’s in the games. But I feel like Callas’s gonna win this one, she is a girl on a mission
I’m not sure yet what to think of this beginning, it had a loooot of information and it was difficult to get into for sure. But so far it’s still interesting. Gives The Hunger Games vibes.
Most likely it is Otta that Anton is trying to save, I have no other theories right now. But if she has been ill for so long it seems unlikely that he’ll be able to save her.
I would place my bets with Calla, she seems dangerous and a badass so yeah, definitely her. But I’m quite sure that at some point she’ll join forces with Anton and they’ll be invincible together.
I don’t have a favourite character yet but Leida seems very interesting, she is so young, but at the same time commands a lot of people. I’d like to learn more about her.
Also I need to know what happened to Anton. Like why was he exiled and what happened between him, August and Leida?
This world building it’s so interesting!!
I kind of think that Otta is the same person Anton’s trying to save, like a lover. He has a long story with August so I’m almost 100% that Anton meet Otta, something happen with them and now he’s exiled trying to save her. Of course I’m placing my bets on Calla, I like badass female characters. I don’t have a favorite character so far but I’m really intrigued by Calla past, especially all about happened that she faked her death and now she entered to this games. I’m so excited to continue reading!!
1) I think the person Anton is trying to save is Otta. The fact that August and Anton *knew* each other; it’s a dark past that is most certainly tied with August’s half-sister. No one goes dark on each other unless family/loved ones are involved.
2) All bets on Calla. Female badass vibes all over her. She started something 5 years ago (RIP her royal family), and she’s on a mission to complete it.
3) I want to say Calla is my fav, but Anton is sleuthing his way in. He’s been dedicated to a comatose person for like 7 years? *swoon* Plus, I’m getting the feeling he has many tricks up his sleeves for these games and Calla.
I’ve finally managed to read the first section today and my God is this book intense. I love we get thrown right in the middle of action, and the body-jumping system is a unique take. I love how stuffy the lore is, it’s nice to see how much the auuthor has improved since These Violent Delights.
I am almost certain Otta is the same person August and Anton speak about. August mentions his half-sister suffered from the Yaisu sickness, which makes her probably the person Anton is trying to save.
So far Calla is def my favourite. She’s like a combination of Aelin and Mia Corvere, but even more badass if that’s possible. I’m wondering what her endgame is and why is she so hellbent to end the current monarchy even at the cost of killing her parents. And with her skill and August’s help she clearly is more likely to win than Anton.
I further behind on this than I intended haaaa
1) Do you think the half-sister August mentioned, Otta, could be the same person Anton’s trying to save?
I think so? I’m pretty sure Anton mentioned Otta as the person in the hospital in one of his POV sections. But maybe I imagined it because it did take me a good minute to realise Anton was a different person to August…
2) Who are you placing your bets on, Anton or Calla?
Calla for sure
3) Do you have a favourite character so far (other than Mao Mao of course)?
No strong favourites, but August and his maneuverings interest me the most
I’m behind (as usual!) but really enjoying the book so far!
Do you think the half-sister August mentioned, Otta, could be the same person Anton’s trying to save?
Yes I think so! Especially as they used to be friends! It’s a little odd that August wouldn’t save his own half-sister though, when Anton mentioned that the palace had the means to do it! I think perhaps Anton was romantically involved with her.
Who are you placing your bets on, Anton or Calla?
I thought Calla at first as she’s been trained for it, and she has the added advantage of August helping her! But Anton is doing really well and is really clever!
Do you have a favourite character so far (other than Mao Mao of course)?
My favourite character so far is August. I’m a sucker for morally grey characters with attitude!
I’m behind this month…whoops. I’m hoping this book is good. I’m part of the minority that didn’t like these violent delights. But this book is giving me hunger games vibes.
Do you think the half-sister August mentioned, Otta, could be the same person Anton’s trying to save?
Yes!
Who are you placing your bets on, Anton or Calla?
I think Calla…but it’s too early to tell.
Do you have a favourite character so far (other than Mao Mao of course)? I don’t really know them yet. So I have to say just Mao Mao.
Catching up on this read along as I was on holiday —
Do you think the half-sister August mentioned, Otta, could be the same person Anton’s trying to save? Maybe? I wasn’t really thinking about this as I read it.
Who are you placing your bets on, Anton or Calla? Calla for now, still early on in the book
Do you have a favourite character so far (other than Mao Mao of course)? None standing out immediately but Calla seems the most interesting to me so far
Yes, I think Otta is the half-sister.
Both Anton and Calla will win. They will team up and fake one of their deaths by body jumping.
No favorites. The main characters are terrible for using peoples’ bodies without their consent, including children.
I am struggling with the writing and trying to get a grasp on the confusing worldbuilding 😭